Editorial Reviews

From 1953 to 1969, Don Glut (best known today for writing the best-selling novelization of the movie The Empire Strikes Back) made amateur movies, most of them in the horror and science fiction genres. Shot on 16mm, these films, thanks to coverage in such magazines as Famous Monsters of Filmland, became "legendary" throughout the world. I Was a Teenage Movie Maker is a feature-length DVD about the making of those films, including interviews with Forrest J Ackerman, Randal Kleiser, Bob Burns, Jim Harmon, Scott Shaw!, Paul Davids, Bill Warren and others. Also, as a "gigantic extra" (and for the first time ever), all 41 of Gluts movies  plus hours of bonus film footage  can be enjoyed on this Special 2-Disc Collector's Edition DVD.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

Those kids who have grown up in the video age will never be able to truly experience the art of making a home movie. Video...just isn't film. When you can rewind and re-shoot scenes at will it just doesn't hone your skills. Plus, there's no comparing the look of film to video. As I watched Don Glut's I Was A Teenage Movie Maker I was transported back to the days of my filmmaking days when my friends and I got out the 8MM camera and made our own classics. The difference between Don Glut and us is that Don never grew out of it. He's now been making professional films for a number of years but he harkens back to the beginning with the remarkable two disc set that includes all 41 of Don's amateur movies made between 1953 to 1969, the golden age for young baby boomers.

There is one other thing that separates Don from so many of the rest of us who made our own home movies, and that's an obvious degree of creative talent. Talk about working on a shoestring budget, Don was not only ahead of his time compared to other kids, but you can argue that Don was advancing into techniques that paralleled Hollywood filmmakers of the day.

I could not help but star the DVD by first watching the actual documentary I Was A Teenage Movie Maker. This full-length documentary features a running commentary by Don beginning with his very first films and going right through his last amateur project. Besides Don, there are also comments from Forrest Ackerman, Bob Burns, and numerous childhood friends of Don's who reflect on their "acting careers" and working with Don.

What really comes across as you watch the documentary is Don's passion for movies. Like I said, he didn't grow out of it and still owns many of the props and costumes he used forty to fifty years ago. That alone is remarkable!Read more ›

Yes, Im glad to finally see these films by Don Glut. I grew up seeing pics of them in Famous monsters of Filmland

magazine. Some of them are pretty good, Some of them are awful. And on most of them, you will be glad for the commentary track by Glut, because thats the only way you will have any idea what the hell is going on (See The Fire MOnsters" for example). But SON OF TOR, the real reason to buy this disc, and likely the reason you did,

does not dissapoint. Its prettty well done. TOR, KING OF BEASTS comes close. I liked the plot of TOR, KOB

better. Its a twist on KING KONG with the explorer slanding on the island in a rocket ship. But SOT was easier to follow.

First, the interviews with Mr. Glut and those involved with the making of his films. Never boring, held my interest from start to finish as Dinosaur Don related about how and why he made those films in the first place, including SFX secrets (which I won't divulge here). Second, the films themselves. Some are straightforward, some are ambitious, and all are entertaining (which is what they're supposed to be in the first place). My only gripe is the background music; some of it sounds like it was cued from a porn film, or sounds too modern for vintage material such as this. If it weren't for this I'd give it full five stars. If you're a amateur filmmaker and you want to see how it was done old school, look no further 'cause this is it in all its low budget glory!

Don Glut is an inspiration. I WAS A TEENAGE MOVIE MAKER is an incredible 2 disc DVD set on how he and his friends started making movies in the 1950's & 60's and it should be required viewing in every film school around the globe. Don is a very talented guy who did it all - he got his hands dirty learning his craft at an early age and now it's all on DVD for the rest of the world to see, enjoy and learn from. It's super cool that he was making (for the most part) monster movies and that Famous Monsters are everywhere in his films (the Topstone monster masks, magazines, models, etc.). It really is amazing how much Don accomplished with virtually no resources except his imagination. From his meeting with director Bert I. Gordon to Forrest J. Ackerman, Bob Burns, Bill Warren and many more Don tells it like it is (and was). I learned more about filmmaking from I WAS A TEENAGE MOVIE MAKER than I did in an entire year in film class.

Don Glut has inspired a tremendous amount of filmmakers, including director John Carpenter. Here for the first time the viewer gets every single amateur/underground movie that he produced back in the 1950s and 1960s. Monsters, giant apes, dinosaurs, superheroes - they are all represented in the order they were made. Glut has added music to all of the films, but the later ones - as he got better with his techniques - actually has dialog as well. It is fantastic to see the progression of these films as Don Glut gets better and better as he creates each one, to the point that the later ones are exceptionally entertaining! There is also a documentary included about the films and each film has its own commentary. Plus plenty of other extras. You cannot go wrong picking up this DVD set.